The health of Indian and inuit children in Canada in the 1980s and 1990s

Abstract

The last 20 years have seen important improvements in the health status of Native Canadian children. Discrepancies in health status remain between Native and other Canadians. Further improvement is less likely to result from adding more medical services than from broader social change. The economic and cultural base of Native communities needs strengthening. Indian and Inuit people need the opportunities and resources to assume responsibility for their own health and social services in the context of a broader transfer of control. Such a transfer will mark the end of a struggle for Native peoples and the beginning of a new challenge for Native people and for those who work on their behalf.